The REM phase (Rapid Eye Movement) is a stage of sleep in which the brain is very active and tends to dream. During the REM phase, your eyes really make rapid movements. The amount of REM sleep depends on age and other factors, but on average it is 50% in infants and 20% in adults. Prolonging REM has been shown to help improve memory and general mental skills. In addition, you can have very intense dreams during the REM sleep phase and with the following tips you can try to prolong them.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Changing the way you sleep
Step 1. Know the stages of sleep
There are four stages of sleep and REM is the fourth and final. To prolong it, you need to allow your body and mind to gradually progress through the first three stages of sleep. You can do this by always going to bed at the same times and trying to sleep well.
- Phase N1: This is the time you start falling asleep and it lasts about 5 minutes. The eyes move slowly under the lids and muscle activity slows down, but you can be easily awakened by a sound or noise.
- Phase N2: This is the first phase of actual sleep, which lasts 10-25 minutes. The eyes completely stop moving, the heart rate slows down and the body temperature drops.
- Phase N3: This is the beginning of deep sleep, during which it is difficult to wake up. If you are awakened at this stage, you will often feel lightheaded and groggy for a few minutes. At this stage, the brain waves are very slow and the blood flow is directed away from the brain and towards the muscles to restore your body's energies.
- Stage N4: The final stage of sleep is the REM stage or the one in which you dream. It shows up about 70-90 minutes after you fall asleep. It is usually accompanied by rapid eye movements, shallow breathing, and an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. In addition, the arms and legs are paralyzed at this stage.
- Consider that during the night, sleep follows cycles, alternating between deep sleep and REM sleep. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes and is repeated 4-6 times per night. As the hours progress, the amount of time devoted to each stage varies. Deep sleep occurs mainly in the first part of the night, while approaching the morning increases the duration of the REM phases.
Step 2. Get regular sleep
Create a schedule where you wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day, even on weekends or holidays. Each person needs to sleep for different times, but on average, you need to try to rest for 7-9 hours a night. A regular sleep cycle will help you get into REM sleep more often, as you will complete more cycles between stages over the course of 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
- Some people believe that sleeping one hour less does not negatively affect their daily activities and that they can catch up on lost sleep on weekends or non-working days, but unfortunately this is not the case. All changes and variations in your sleep cycle have negative effects and can lead you to shorten deep and REM sleep phases.
- It is a myth that our bodies quickly adjust to various sleep cycles. Although many people are able to reset their biological clock, it is only possible to do so by respecting precise times and, even in the best cases, no more than two hours a day. Remember that it can take more than a week for our body's internal clock to get used to a new time zone or night shift.
Step 3. Turn off all electronic devices and eliminate distractions a few hours before bed
Turn off your TV, smartphone, tablet and computer, or even better, avoid keeping them in your room. The type of light emitted by these screens can stimulate the brain, stop the production of melatonin (which promotes REM sleep), and interfere with our body's internal clock.
Another option is to shut down the computer with an automatic program. This way the system will shut down by itself and you won't be able to work late or before going to bed. There are similar functions on PC and Mac that you can activate. You can also set a switch-on time if you want your computer to be ready when you get up in the morning
Step 4. Keep the bedroom dark, cool and quiet
Use heavy, dark curtains to keep the light out of the windows. Cover all electronic devices, such as televisions and computers, so that there is no light in the room. You can also cover your eyes with a mask and thus create a dark environment that helps you sleep.
If you are unable to sleep due to loud noises coming from outside or because your partner makes noise while sleeping, consider purchasing good quality earplugs, or a device that emits white noise
Step 5. Don't drink caffeine or alcohol 4-6 hours before going to bed
About half of the caffeine you consume at 7pm is still in your body at 11pm. This substance is a known stimulant that can prevent you from reaching REM sleep and is found in coffee, chocolate, sodas, tea, medications. weight loss and some pain relievers. Limit the number of cups of coffee you drink in the hours before bed, or try to eliminate caffeine from your diet altogether.
Alcohol also prevents deep sleep and REM sleep. It causes the body to stay in the lighter stages of sleep, consequently it becomes easier to wake up and more difficult to go back to sleep. Don't drink alcohol for a few hours before bed to increase your chances of getting into REM sleep
Step 6. Try to go to sleep 30 minutes earlier than usual
REM phases are longer in the morning, so try to prolong them by sleeping for 30 minutes more. Change your schedule so that you go to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual, then keep this change by repeating it every night.
Always try to be consistent in changing your sleep cycle, because you need to make sure you have enough time for all stages of sleep, especially deep sleep, if you want to improve REM sleep. If you don't sleep soundly enough during the night, your body will try to recover the next day, reducing the length of REM sleep
Part 2 of 2: Taking Medication and Exercising
Step 1. Ask your doctor for melatonin to improve REM sleep
Recent studies have shown that taking melatonin supplements, about 3 mg per day, can increase the duration of REM phases. Your doctor can recommend a supplement, usually in pills, and prescribe the ideal dosage for your build.
Melatonin is also recommended for the elderly and for those who work at night, because it helps normalize the sleep cycle and can be beneficial to health in general
Step 2. Beware of over-the-counter medications that can limit REM sleep
Many of the side effects of these medicines can negatively impact your sleep cycle and how alert you are during the day. The most common medications that disrupt REM sleep include:
- Nasal decongestants
- Aspirin and other headache medicines
- Pain relievers with caffeine
- Cold and allergy medications that contain antihistamines
- Some diet pills and antidepressants
- If you take these medications, try reducing their dosage, or look for alternative ways to treat your health problems so you can stop taking those over-the-counter medications.
Step 3. Make a commitment to get at least 20-30 minutes of physical activity a day
Exercising every day has been shown to help sleep and can prolong the duration of REM phases. However, exercising just before bed can interfere with the sleep cycle. Aim to work out about 5-6 hours before bed.
